Rising Stars standout Dereck Lively II, once the kid who couldn’t ‘walk and chew gum,’ has come a long way

INDIANAPOLIS — While eighth-grade AAU teammates, Jalen Duren insists Dereck Lively II “couldn’t walk and chew gum” at the same time.

“He was sitting on the bench,” Duren recalled Friday from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “He was a big, goofy kid.”

“Oh, no, he’s right,” Lively responded a few minutes later, when informed of Duren’s less-than-favorable assessment. “I was, like, 6-foot-7 and I couldn’t dunk.”

Fast forward to Friday night, when Lively used the All-Star weekend stage to flash why he has become an immediate starter for a Dallas Mavericks team in the thick of the Western Conference playoff chase. During the Rising Stars Challenge, Lively went a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor over two games of the four-team mini-tournament, helping lift Team Jalen (”coached” by former Indiana Pacers star Jalen Rose) to the championship.

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Lively — while wearing a black mask to protect a broken nose — quickly displayed his ability as a lob threat, with two alley-oop finishes and then a putback dunk in Team Jalen’s opening win over Duren’s Team Tamika [Catchings]. Lively then contributed six points for Team Jalen — including another over-the-top finish to give his team a 20-13 advantage — in the title game against Team Detlef [Schrempf]. (The first-round games were first to 40 points while the championship game was first to 25.)

“That first dunk,” an energetic Lively said of what he will most remember about the night. “Being able to come out here and actually score the ball and be able to be comfortable with the mask on is amazing.”

Friday’s performance came after Lively averaged 9.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in his first 37 games for the Mavericks. Yet Lively’s Philly roots — which propelled him to become a five-star recruit out of Westtown School, then the 2023 NBA draft’s No. 12 overall pick following one season at Duke — peppered his media session earlier in the day.

Allen Iverson was his answer to a question about who he most hoped to meet during the weekend — and to another about the past or present player he would most like to be his teammate, because “everybody’s going to focus on him, so that means I’m going to play off him like I do Luka [Dončić].” When asked about his favorite throwback uniform, Lively shared he sees a strategically placed Moses Malone Sixers jersey every time he walks in his closet. When asked which celebrities he would love to have sitting courtside at one of his games, Philly rapper Meek Mill was one of his picks.

And when asked how he carries Philly with him as a professional, he highlighted the city’s “East Coast hustle” instilled in him by his family. He got to expand on that more Friday afternoon, when he did an ESPN interview alongside his mother, Kathy Drysdale.

“At this level, it’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like that,” Lively said. “Being able to see my mom get some of that spotlight, it makes her feel good, so I’m happy.”

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That poorly timed nose injury, however, forced Lively to miss his first homecoming as an NBA player. He coincidentally had surgery on Feb. 5, the same day Dallas topped the 76ers in their only visit to the Wells Fargo Center during the 2023-24 season. That procedure repaired one break at the top of his nose, and two on the right side.

“Everything kind of just shifted over,” Lively said. “It was nasty.”

Lively initially wondered if the injury would also prevent him from partaking in All-Star weekend. He received the Rising Stars nod while becoming a defensive anchor for the Mavericks, complementing the dynamic backcourt of Dončić and Kyrie Irving.

Lively credits assistant Sean Sweeney and player development coach Tyson Chandler — whose skills during his own lengthy playing career mirror Lively’s — with accelerating his development in his first season. And though Lively is appreciative that he has already earned teammates’ respect and trust, his next goal is to become a more effective offensive player “so that not all the focus is on Luka and Ky.”

“They can have some possessions off,” Lively added, “so they can save their breath for later on in the game.”

This stay in Indianapolis has also presented an opportunity for Lively to reflect, and reunite.

Last season, he watched Duren rack up double-doubles as a rookie, his “beast” status on the glass and in the paint as a teenager instantly translating to the highest level. These days, it has been “surreal” for Duren to see Lively’s impactful rookie season unfold. And when asked Friday who he would most love to dunk on in the league, Lively jokingly said his pal Duren.

Because Lively has come a long way from the eighth-grader who could not walk and chew gum at the same time.

“I had legs this big [holds hands close together],” Lively said, “and going up against [Duren] for years and years and years, he was stronger than me. He could jump higher than me. I got dunked on a lot of times.

“But it [didn’t] mean I would stop playing basketball, so I just kept grinding.”